Advice for Hair Loss Sufferers Considering Hair Transplant Surgery

My Story

Hi Folks,
It took me long to post this similar to what it took me to decide for going for my HT 😊
Well in order for me to take you through my journey allow me to explicate it in phases…….
About me: Indian by Nationality, currently 34 years of age, an individual highly cautious for his health and overall wellbeing. Hard working and quite disciplined in maintaining a decent lifestyle. Somewhat introvert in nature though can’t say completely.
My Hair-loss story: I had thick dense curly hairs since my childhood. The bad phase of my hairs started when the good phase of my career started. I came to Dubai at the age of 24 post completion of my education MBA (Marketing). I got recruited in a MNC and was eager to achieve a lot. And like they say that all things come with a price tag, may be my precious hairs were the price of my professional achievements. It was around 3-4 years down the line since I started to realize that something is not going well with my hairs as I started noticing a lot of hairfall. As I told you I am very health cautious, I immediately tried to research/apply all possible ways and means to combat this hairfall, from hair oils to herbs, to supplements, to yoga, to fruits/ healthy diet, from homeopathy to allopathy to Ayurveda, what and what not…… You name it and I might have done it all to preserve my hairs. BUT……All in despair. Nothing seemed to have been affecting much. It was getting worse day by day and I had started to use hair fibers in order to conceal my agony. It had been 10 years since I was continuously battling and that was when I regained all my strength and decided that it’s time for me to get a HT done.
My Hair Transplant story: Post making up my mind for HT, the most difficult step was to finalize a doctor/surgeon. Pause here…..when I say a doctor, I don’t just mean a doctor……I needed someone as good as the creator himself. My expectations were really sky high when it came to choosing someone for rectification of my devastated felicity, MY PRECIOUS HAIRS…….
It seemed almost impossible to satisfy my expectation but I was determined….I visited numerous clinics, met multiple doctors/surgeons, continued with my routine online investigations and also got inclined towards couple of doctors though not fully satisfied. Then I remembered and approached one of my cousins whom I consider an encyclopedia. I reached out to him for assistance in my search. It took him few weeks before he could get back to me with certain recommendations. The final decision was obviously mine and I started conversing with the finalized ones. It was no later than my first conversation with Dr. Tejinder Bhatti, I was convinced that HE IS THE ONE……..He saw my pics and gave me an estimation of 3000 grafts (approx.). It was not the number of grafts which would have mattered to me nor the financial aspect. I could sense his expertise in his approach. We hardly had a couple of calls and exchange of may be couple of mails and I decided to get my HT done from him.
Journey to Darling Buds Hair Transplant Clinic: 12th Jan 2018 was when I got my HT done from Dr. Tejinder Bhatti. It was around 2-3am when I reached Chandigarh on the same day and around 8am I was with Dr. Bhatti for my procedure. We just had a small chat discussing my hairline, temples and we were through. It took around 7 hours for the overall procedure. Dr. Bhatti did the most of the procedure himself. Upon completion of the procedure I was given Post Op care instructions and next day I went for my dressing which again was done by Dr. Bhatti himself. That was it and I was free. There was not a single moment of pain and discomfort. Dr. Bhatti and his team took extreme care overall. It was merely a span of 2 days and I would have never imagined that these 2 days are going to be the life changing ones for me. As a standard HT procedure, it took around 5-6 months since the transplanted hairs flourished exceeding my expectations. I no more had to use any fibers, no more had to be worried about hiding my pathetic hair condition. It was all natural. Dr. Bhatti had infused new life to my hairs and scalp. Till date all the people who know about my HT keep complimenting me every now and then. They all admire my current hair looks. W.r.t. the people who don’t know about my HT, they can’t even make out that I have done any treatment. It’s so natural that nobody can even guess it in their wildest dreams. You may refer pics and evaluate on your own.
SUMMARY – Words such as skilled, adept, experienced, apt, professional can be considered a synonym for Dr. TEJINDER BHATTI. He is a master of his game. A profound HT surgeon who has the ability to furnish outstanding results. The entire team at Darling Buds clinic is extremely friendly, co-operative and caring. Though I don’t remember all the names but Shalini and Puneet are 2 individuals out of the team with whom I have already developed a bonding. Dr. Bhatti and team manage even the minutest thing from the inception till cessation with extreme care. The overall atmosphere of the clinic is completely apt. The results produced by Dr. Bhatti are prolific and he can truly be regarded as a man with magical hands.
I would highly recommend Dr. Tejinder Bhatti and DARLING BUDS as “One Stop Destination” for all individuals who are highly caring about the health of their hairs.
P.S. – The above is not at all an endorsement but the true narration of my self-experience with Dr. Tejinder Bhatti.

Hello,
I am making this post to create a tracker. I wrote about my experience/background in a previous post. I am going to try to keep the two somewhat separate. If you want to learn about my journey, visit the other post here. I will try to keep updating anyone interested on this post from March 5th 2019 going forward.
Before and immediately after:

I've had three hair transplants now with Dr bhatti, first mainly focusing on the front area then second predure on the crown third middle of the scalp, just thickening the area really, just wanted to post a update after my third transplant last July, 7 years since my first and here's the long term results you can achieve with hairtransplant done right 😍😍😍

Hi,
I would like to share my experience and current results from a FUE Surgery. I had my surgery last year August 2018. Also, this is my second surgery after a failed procedure from a 2000 grafts FUE surgery which I had in June 2016. The picture below before my last year procedure shows the failure from my first surgery.
After my first unsuccessful surgery I decided to try a second procedure with hope of a better results. I came across Darlings Buds clinic from this forum and few other forums along with his clearly 'misleading Youtube' channel. After contacting and consultation through emails only he suggested for a FUE procedure 2200 grafts. He convinced me that the first procedure was a failure and he can repair it with a single procedure and with 2200 grafts (we end up having 2376 because he claim he managed to extract more during surgery).
I made a trip last year to India in August 2018 for the procedure and after 10 months of my procedure I came into conclusion that it is a failed procedure based on the results below. From the month of 7 I started asking Dr Bhatti, why I don't see any results even after following all the instruction he gave me i.e, medication which is Finestride, Biotin 10,000 mcg, and Minoxidil, he's feedback was he don't know himself.Despite the side effect of finestride, I'm still on that medication. After numerous emails, he admitted that my hair will not grow fully and his feedback was each human body works differently.
At last, he replied that he can do a repair with complementary repair. Here now comes my question which he refuse and cannot answer.
1. What was the reason my unsuccessful surgery?
2. What are the possibility of the repair surgery would work? He's reply was he can only hope for the best
3. What if the repair failed as well? - No answer, only replied with 'I won't proceed with another repair then' - This is of course when there is no more graft available as he claim I only have balance 800 grafts
4. When I told him that I would need to approach another surgeons view and I've been asked for my outcome pictures from few bloggers, he's feedback was he would need to defend himself. Strange that he thinks I'm making a false acquisition here when he knows that the surgery failed and he can't convince me for a repair. Also to note that all this is through an email and personally I feel there is no sense of responsibility from him to call and speak to me.
Below is the pictures and I hope to get your expert feedback on this. Would it be right for me to go back to the same surgeon who cannot give me a proper explanation and explain to me what went wrong? Only by saying we can just hope for the best.
Before Surgery
3rd Day After Surgery
5th Month After Surgery
6th Month
10th Month

I’m 30 yo male from Australia. I noticed that I’ve started losing hair in my late teens. Just before the procedure I had type 3 MPB (as estimated by Dr Bhatti). I was looking for a solution to this problem and the only permanent one appeared to be HT. After reading to this forum for some time I shortlisted a couple of Drs and finally decided to proceed with Dr Bhatti.
The procedure was scheduled on 19th of December, Tuesday. I decided to get to Chandigarh a couple of days earlier, on Saturday - to have some time to cope with a jet lag and be fresh for the procedure. I booked the flights to Delhi and from Delhi to Chandigarh. Unfortunately, my flight to Delhi was delayed by around 1.5 hours and so I was late for my flight to Chandigarh. After collecting my baggage, I called the clinic. Although I bought an Indian sim-card I had to use a payphone because sim-cards in India (I checked Vodafone and Airtel) are activated only after 4 hours from purchase. The clinic staff advised to take taxi. It took 6 hours to get to the Chandigarh by taxi. Mainly it was because of the terrible traffic in Delhi (it took us 1.5 hours to leave Delhi). Well, it was a good opportunity to have a closer look on India.
I lived in a hotel The Gaur (sector 43) which was recommended by Dr Bhatti. In general, the hotel was ok. I had a comfortable bed and big tv, shower and toilet were clean. It was quiet during the nights so I had some good sleep before and after the procedure. The hotel restaurant looked nice and I enjoyed the food. The hotel is located quite close to sector 35 market where I found KFC, Dominos and McDonalds. I also visited a nice Indian restaurant called Oven Fresh (it’s close to KFC).
On Monday, one day before the procedure the Darling Buds driver took me to the clinic and I had a short consultation with Dr Bhatti. The Dr drew the hairline and estimated that approximately 2800 grafts would be needed for the procedure. He was quite friendly. I was also given some medication to take that evening. Next day, the driver took me to the clinic again. We arrived just after 9am. Dr Bhatti shaved my hair and drew the final hairline. After checking it in the mirror I told Dr that the hairline is a bit asymmetrical (the right side is higher than the left one) and so Dr Bhatti drew another line on top of the old one to make it symmetrical. Then, I had an injection of the antibiotic into my hand vein and after short waiting the procedure had started.
I was asked to lie down on my stomach and Dr Bhatti injected anaesthetic into the donor area. It felt like somebody is pushing needles into my head but it was the only painful part of the procedure. Then I remember getting a bit dizzy and harvesting of the donor area after which I was asked to turn and lie on my back. The rest is a blur. I just remember opening my eyes, the staff asked if I need anything - I asked for water (I was terribly thirsty). After some time one of the assistants said that the procedure was finished. It was like waking up from the dream. Staff helped me to walk to the room where I could change my clothes as I was still dizzy. I checked the time - it was already past 5pm (around 7 hours had passed from the start of the procedure). For me it was like 1 hour. 2843 grafts were planted. After changing my clothes and short waiting I received some medication and the driver took me back to the hotel. In the car I recovered from the dizziness so once in the hotel room I started to look in the mirror. What I noticed was that the hairline was asymmetrical in the same way as was original hairline drawn by Dr Bhatti. In the mirror, the right part of the hairline was noticeably higher. I called the clinic and expressed my concerns. The staff said that I have consultation with Dr Bhatti scheduled for the morning so I can discuss it with him. As I had only one full day left in Chandigarh, I sent email to Dr Bhatti saying that the hairline is asymmetrical and I would like the it to be corrected at my cost and explained that I have only one full day left. The Dr replied and agreed to correct it.
Next morning, once in the clinic my hair was cleaned by staff and one of the assistants asked me to draw the hairline for the correction. I drew the hairline - lowered the right side. Then Dr Bhatti came in. Now, he was negative about having to correct the hairline arguing that the hairline is uneven due to uneven swelling and that correction can cause bleeding and additional swelling from the existing grafts. I was 100% sure that the hairline was wrong and I was not happy with it so I insisted. Dr Bhatti then agreed and asked me to sign a sort of disclaimer (a note saying that he was against the follow-up procedure and its possible negative effects for which I will be responsible). In the end, there was no bleeding and I haven’t noticed any additional swelling caused by the follow-up procedure; also I’m happy with the form of the corrected hairline so that turned out to be the right decision.
The follow-up procedure was quite short. I haven’t received that much of anaesthetic so I was fully conscious. I can confirm that all the parts of the procedure except for planting were performed by Dr Bhatti personally. It took 103 grafts to correct the hairline. After this short procedure I received the details for post-op care. With the help of the clinic, I also bought Finasteride and Minoxidil for my 6-month recovery period and the driver took me back to the hotel.
The final count of grafts is 2946:
Singles 564 (475 + 89)
Doubles 2061 (2047 + 14)
Triples 321
I also have apr. 1400 grafts left for future procedure if needed.
Next day, the driver from the clinic took me to the airport. And again there was a problem with flights. This time, my flight to Delhi was cancelled because of the fog. So I missed my flight from Delhi to Australia. After collecting my baggage and receiving some documents for refund I booked another flight to Delhi for the next morning. Then I called the clinic. The staff from the clinic were very helpful. They arranged a driver to pick me up at the airport and take back to the hotel. The driver also helped me to top up my mobile account as I needed to make some calls overseas - to airline and travel agent trying to rebook the flight from Delhi to Australia or to get a refund. The guys from the clinic later called me to check if I had a room in the hotel. They also arranged the driver for next morning to take me to the airport. So, the clinic definitely takes a good care of their patients.
Next day’s trip was without surprised and I finally got home.
Today is 8th day after the procedure. The donor area is showing good recovery.
I’ve attached some photos. I would appreciate opinions on the density.
Thanks for reading!

I am a 33 year old caucasian male with a receding hairline, estimated to be between a Norwood 2 & 3 with no balding on the crown. I need my temples filled in and hairline lowered - framing my face. I am searching for the optimal balance between a youthful and natural hairline. I do have a natural high forehead which has made ill effects of a receding hairline considerably worse so I would like to try and lower it as much as possible within reason. My hair loss has been across 10-12 years and has been very slow considering I don't take finasteride and only recently started using minoxidil foam. I experimented with finasteride and I'm not prepared to take it long term. I've done research for many years but I'm finally looking to bite the bullet. I have financial constraints which limits who I can see while my current work and social situation makes this the ideal time to undertake a HT. I'm based in Sydney, Australia. My preference was Koray/ Asmed Clinic based on results and I was recently quoted requiring 2400-2600 grafts. The total cost including flights I estimated to be around $12,000 which I cannot afford. I've been long considering Bhatti/ Darling Buds in India. I was concerned about his hairlines a few years back, namely spacing between grafts and overall natural look, but there seem to be some new and impressive results on his website. The hairline seems both flatter and more natural. I could also do the whole thing for circa $5000 AUD. I've narrowed down my choice to Turkey or India based on cost. Can anyone recommend a doctor based on my circumstances. Thank you!

SKIP TO “*******************” FOR RESULTS
LONG BACKGROUND STORY WARNING
My journey began when I saw the reddit post: https://i.redd.it/0k9i3r8myk001.jpg . In the comments, I found the link to a poster (who I won’t link, but you could find it yourself) who mentioned that results like Elon had are not only possible, he had one. I went down the rabbit hole. I saw the results that are possible, and common.
Quick background: My hairline was receding since I first noticed it at ~15. It wasn’t bad, but I never felt comfortable with my hair short. I noticed acceleration into my early 20s, but I knew it was too early to do anything about it. All of the common advice was to let it develop, and worry about it then. I researched HT when I was 22/23, and google showed me horror stories of 19-year-olds mutilating their scalp with an aggressive hairline and constantly adding more after the fact. I resigned to waiting and seeing. After a few years, the recession stabilized when I was 25/26. I had not known about this site, and so I tried to use Nioxin and minoxidil from Costco, hoping to permanently slow and possibly reverse the hairloss. It didn’t do a great deal. Minoxidil did function like a hair product that kept a shape. I was content to brush my hair to the side, and as long as my SO said I looked fine, I didn’t think much of it.
I was never in denial about my hair loss, but like I said, it didn’t seem that bad. My view completely changed when I was at a tailor for a suit. Looking at an angle in that 3-pane mirror, I saw myself from the side. My hair looked like it was drawn on top of my head, rather than coming from my head. I felt vulnerable and embarrassed. I decided to seriously look into a HT.
After researching FUE vs FUT, I saw the clear benefits of FUE (very similar to LASIK vs PRK in my opinion) I researched the most recommended doctors, and contacted him. Long story short is: He wanted to do a mix of FUT & FUE. I told him I only wanted FUE. He insisted but conceded. He gave me the quote for 2500 grafts.
I view HT as a permanent body modification. Anyone that has ever gotten a tattoo knows that it isn’t the price you pay for a tattoo, it is the artist you get the tattoo from. No one brags about how much they spent, it’s about who the artist was. After brooding on the uneasy feeling of “convincing” an artist of my perspective HT to do an art piece he didn’t want to do, I researched more FUE-only doctors. This is the search that led me to Dr. Bhatti.
Long story short again: He told me I needed ~2500 grafts as well. I was contacting both doctors in May 2018. I know that great artists are in high demand, and before I asked if he was available (NOT how much it cost). I told my SO that I was willing to pay double (my local price) for an artist whose portfolio I could see, and whose name I could trust (thanks to this site) if he had availability in Dec/Jan 2019. I was planning on using this time away from college to take a “vacation” where I could get the surgery and recover. Dr. Bhatti said he was available during early Jan, and I immediately booked an appointment with a deposit. Dr. Bhatti’s quote was less than the first quote I received. This was a bonus, not the reason I went to Darling Buds. Obviously I chose to go abroad for the procedure due to costs. I don’t want to compile “unnecessary” costs. I want to be clear that it was a choice of artist.
I watched airline prices, and eventually booked my tickets. Booked Lax to Del in September for $456.31 and Del to IXC for $78.01, $534.32 USD round trip total. I am pretty good at finding deals, and am happy to write a post about it if enough ask, if it hasn’t been posted elsewhere.
I’ll skip the common details most posters make about travel etc.
When I arrived to Dr. Bhatti’s office, I felt that I was at a safe and clean environment. I thought it was all very professional and systematic in following the procedure of bloodwork, paperwork, etc. I really appreciated the one on one time with Dr. Bhatti in drawing my hairline and him giving me time to reflect (no pun intended) on the new hairline. I thought his hairline was ABSOLUTELY natural, and matched completely what I thought would restore my ~12 year old self’s hairline. I told Dr. Bhatti that I was considering lowering it further, (because why not?!). After years of hearing forehead and balding jokes, I think we all get a little defensive and never want to be in that same position, if we can avoid it. HT seems to be the best place to ensure it doesn’t happen again. So I told him what I though, and he said it may not look natural, but he would do it if I wanted it. He told me to consider it, and he would redraw the hairline the next day, the day of the procedure, and we would decide then. I showed my mom what I was considering and she said that I should go with the marker, Dr. Bhatti’s proposal. I arrived the next day and in full conviction, happily chose Dr. Bhatti’s recommendation.
**************************************
Single: 271
Double: 1268
Triple: 1013
Front transplanted: 2193
Left temple: 186
Right temple: 173
(I am happy to have it broken down to me in that manner. Temples exposed expedited my HT journey, so it is nice to see how many went to that mission.)
I always followed the post care instructions Dr. Bhatti’s office provides.
The procedure didn’t hurt. When I felt uncomfortable, I told Dr. Bhatti. He then gave me more local antiesthetic. Side note, I only took a few of the pain pills for post op. My scalp was numb, and I didn’t need it.
I had no issues in the 3 days post op.
I flew on the 4th day. My face swelled during the air travel, not too horrifying, but pretty bad. I was worried about being questioned by US customs when I arrived in LAX. No problem. I was worried about a rental car I rented later in the day, again, no issues. I didn’t take photos. The swelling went away gradually, but was gone after 3 days, no problem (I expected this thanks to this site! I always checked on here to see if others had similar issues).
Picture curation is mostly chronological (I hope). Orange Line is "generally" what I was thinking. Just a rough idea of an "aggressive approach" I ultimately did not pursue. Last photo is 72 hours post. Didn't take a post donor pic due to not trying to make myself contort as well as not making my SO look at the carnage!

Background:
I am 31 years old North Indian working in Pune, have been losing hair for the past 5 years. I have tried using both Minoxidil and Finpecia for about a year and then stopped about 6 months back, as I just couldn't see myself doing it any further for the rest of my life. I'm not sure if it did stop my hair loss or helped regrow some of them, as there was nothing noticeable to my eye.
Researching:
I’m glad I found this forum, the forum provided me a vast data of other patient's doctor reviews and their HT journeys.After extensive reading for about 2 years, I decided to get a HT done, so it finally came down between Dr Bhatti and Dr Lorenzo, cost wasn’t an important factor, I believe in quality but Chandigarh City, being my home town and its much easier to meet Dr Bhatti and rest post HT, I opted for Dr Bhatti. Special thanks to Shera for his work on this forum.
Email communication:
I dropped an email to Dr. Bhatti around a month ago after getting his details from his website. He responded asking for some pics of my head. After seeing them, he estimated that I’d need around 1500 grafts for the front, 1000 grafts to cover my crown for a natural look as per my age. My hair other than the balding spot is reasonably thick, I have attached the before pictures to give a fair idea. I bombarded him with lot of questions and he responded to every single one of them and then finally fixed my HT for 16th April after an advance payment to block the date. Dr. Bhatti sent me a pre-OP instruction manual for me to go through. Do note, I did not opt for any hotel/guest house, as I have my own house in Chandigarh.
Consultation:
I landed at Chandigarh few days before my HT, as I had 14th April (Saturday) as my consultation date to discuss in person with Dr Bhatti at his newly built 5 River Hospital, Mohali to agree on hairline and get other blood tests done as part of pre-op. I gave my blood sample at Amulya Labs, located on the ground floor of 5 Rivers Hospital itself. Dr Amulyajit - she is Dr Bhatti’s wife, Dr Sharin (I think I might have misspelt her name) and Alex at the reception were really kind and caring and walked me through all the tests that I needed. They mentioned the reports will be sent over by email the same day (but for some reason I did not receive it)
After Dr Bhatti examined me in person at 10:45am, I was told I would need 1000 grafts for the front and 1200 grafts for my crown. He drew me a hairline which was much lower than I was expecting, but he said it would look better on my face. I consulted with my parents who were with me, we agreed on the hairline but he still asked me to think it over the weekend before HT day. I was given few tablets that I needed to take a night before the HT (they were anti Anxiety, anti acid and another one which I don’t remember what it was for) and was asked to have only milk or juice and be ready at 7.30 AM for the pickup from my home.
HT - Day 1:
I was picked up by clinic driver Mr. Chanchal (he drove well and was fun to talk with as well) at 7:30am today. On reaching the clinic, I was made to change into OT clothes and deposit my valuable items like phone, cards etc. I had to sign few papers and pay approx. 80% before the operation (they do accept cards). A guy (didn’t get his name) tested me by inserting sample dose of antibiotic via needle in my hand to check if Im not allergic. I then reviewed the new hairline with Dr Bhatti for the final time before he trimmed my hair (a moment of shock to see myself bald for the first time, but to be honest didn’t look to bad ). On asking Dr Bhatti that I did not receive the lab report, he did mention the lab reports were all okay and we are good to proceed. Procedure started around 9am after injecting anaesthesia to my donor area, Dr Bhatti proceeded to harvest my grafts from the donor area. The harvesting machine drilled into my semi-numb scalp and the doctor extracted the grafts – which was not completely painless unfortunately (In my case the anaesthesia did not work in some part of my scalp even after increasing the dosage, this has happened with me before in my only other operation (tonsillitis)- that’s just my sour relation with anaesthesia smh). During harvesting, Dr Bhatti tried to strike a conversation to help me divert my mine, but the drill was still sort of painful but I was strong enough to bear it. After Harvesting was completed around 11’ish, my donor area was bandaged, we took a break for breakfast. Ate sandwich with juice (yummy) along with a toilet break.
After breakfast, Dr Bhatti resumed in punching holes in my upper forehead (not sure about the technical term for it) for my hairline, which took quite a while before Plantation of the grafts was done by his staff, a total of 4 nurses (from what I could make out) – Sonam, Ankush, Manpreet and the other did not have a visible name tally. But the nurse staff was really kind and caring and kept on checking with me in between If Im okay, we had punjabi radio station in the background. I was not chatty due to the pain.
After the plantation for my hairline was completed, we took lunch break around 2:15pm. I was given a Pizza and coke. FYI, Pizza preference was noted before the surgery started.
Post lunch around 2:45pm, Dr Bhatti came back, this time for punching holes in my crown area (which btw did hurt) and then once he was done with it, the nursing staff took over for planting the grafts on my crown. Arushi came to check on me between the procedure, stating that it shouldn’t take much longer and Im almost at the end of it. The procedure finally finished around 4:30pm
After the surgery was completed, Sonam took me in-front of a mirror and a chair, where Dr Bhatti came and explained me on how to use the saline lotion, antiseptic spray before wearing the bandana etc. He then changed my dressing for the donor area. Was again handed couple of tablets including pain killer for the first day and was asked to visit the clinic the next day at 9:30am for changing my dressing. Dr Bhatti would then explain me on how to take care of myself thereafter.
Before leaving Shalini then asked one of the guy to make me some tea, which I had. after which I changed into my normal clothes. Was handed over my personal belongings. I forgot to take note of the number of singles, doubles and triples, will remember to do that tomorrow.
I now have to manage day one which is critical, so far so good just got a bit of swelling on my forehead and it hurts if I touch it.
Will keep this post updated. Wish me luck guys

Hi All,
I am 31 years old and soon going to be 32 in the next few months, have been losing hair for the past 5 years. I have tried using both Minoxidil and Finpecia for about a year together and then stopped about 6 months back, as I just couldn't see myself doing it any further for the rest of my life. I'm not sure if it did stop my hair loss or helped regrow some, as there was nothing noticeable to my eye.
I've been following this forum for about 2 years as a silent spectator while deciding if I really needed a hair transplant (Parents being against it) or should I wait further or look for an alternate solution (Hair System?). I've really been stressed for the past few years due to the hair loss and it did impact my self confidence, with some individuals (friends/colleagues) making jokes in public about the balding spot didn't help either. Being unmarried and balding is not making it easier for me.
The forum helped me reading through all the patient's reviews and their journeys. I then decided I do need a HT, so it finally came down between Dr Bhatti and Dr Lorenzo, but considering the cost (wasn't that important factor) and Chandigarh also being my home town, I opted for Dr Bhatti and fixed my appointment with him over email for the next month.
After discussing with Dr Bhatti over the email, he mentioned I'm Norwood 3V and that I would need 1500 grafts for the front, 1000 grafts to cover my crown. My hair other than the balding spot is reasonably thick, I have attached the pictures to give a fair idea.
Need everyones honest view on the frontal hairline, should I lower it further or continue with the same? Do you think 1000 grafts will be enough for the crown?
How much density should I be aiming for at the front and the crown while making sure I do not waste my donor area (as I may at some time in future need it again, I hope not - but still)
Should I consider transplanting my chest hair instead for the crown, instead of wasting the donor area at the back? If yes, will it look unnatural considering the hair surrounding it is thick and original hair (instead of the chest hair)?
I will of course be discussing this with Dr Bhatti in person (didn't feel like bombarding him with so many questions over email), but I will be in a better situation if I have everyones view and I got almost a month to ponder over it.
Would love everyones view
PS: I'm suffering from Hypothyroidism (under control via pills).

Hi Guys,
First of all , thanks to all the forum users and moderators for the wealth of information here. Really helps all of us guys in here.
Coming to myself - I'm 29 years now from India and I have had thinning since early 20s. I had transplant to the front of about 1800 grafts for the hairline and the result is mildly satisfying. It's neither great nor worse. I am a diffuse thinner with fine hair. Now I look back after an year of transplant - I see my crown has had thinned a lot and there's a considerable bald spot which has been bothering me quite a bit and has taken a hit on my confidence.
I will post the pics of my crown currently in various lightings. Could you guys please see and suggest if FUE on crown is the way to go for me and also suggest how many grafts would be great for a decent coverage. With toppik fibres currently , none gets to know that my crown is thinning but using it daily and with rains/ wind - there is always this fear of losing the mask.
I come a culture where traditionally hair is seen as something very important and is probably an aspect when I plan to marry. So really appreciate what you guys would think and would be the best way to go .
Here are the options I am exploring currently :
1. Get 1000-1200 grafts to the crown with no-shave FUE from Dr Bhatti
2. Get SMP done with long hair done from A's clinic to conceal the thinning and plan an HT in future
The end goal is to not worry about hair for atleast 2-3 years down the lane again.
What do you guys think. Any input is appreciated. I am really confused and looking for answers

Hi,
Thought I should create a thread here as it's been pivotal in helping me choose to go ahead with my hair transplant, and that with Dr Tejinder Bhatti.
A bit of background about myself. I'm 26 and ever since my late teens since I decided to cut my hair I've noticed that I suffered from Sikh traction alopecia. For those who don't know what this is, it's basically tying a top knot. In my case it wasn't my choice to keep long hair but that of my parents, mainly my mom, since a young age. I wasn't particularly religious and didn't really want to keep it long anyway. It was tied quite tightly and hence why my hairline looks receded.
Over the past several years I've used finasteride to try and retain the hair that I have and slow down the thinning I am experiencing on top.
Of course like you, my main choice to choose the hair transplant was because of confidence issues. I've never had a proper hairstyle or been able to comb it in a way that I liked (big schnoz). I would try to keep it from medium to long so I could try and brush it forward and cover the areas that had no growth. I resembled Howard from the Big Bang Theory, same sort of hairstyle and I've been told I look like him (not sure if that is a compliment ). Quite embarrassing but I used an eye liner pencil to fill up the areas on my temples when the barber cut my hair too short. This would show a patch of skin between the beard and hair which would look weird.
I emailed the doc back in about November 2015 and sent some pics over. He recommended 1,800 grafts. Since I was going to India with my grandparents to our home in Punjab I used this opportunity to get it done, coupled with the fact that I booked 3 weeks off work which would give me ample recovery time. I came to India on 3rd of March and the procedure was booked for the 11th of March. Deposit etc was all done beforehand.
I traveled to Chandigarh on the 10th by bus from our house (about 2.5 hrs) and met with the doc who drew the hairline. I was ok with it. I've never seen my normal hairline before so couldn't really comment and left it to his experience/opinion. Stayed at Hotel Ab's in sector 17. The morning after I came in and paid all the cash, got injected with antibiotics and then the part that disgruntled me: the no shave cut. Since I was going back to work near the end of the month I didn't want my head to be shaved. I've never had it shaved before but I know I wouldn't look good so I opted for the non shave technique. Before I could say anything about how I would like it cut the doc was quick to take off my hair from the neck to about half way up my head. Now obviously the damage was already done, there was no point arguing. I just knew I would look ridiculous.
Anyway the op went as usual, lots of injections to numb the area. The one thing that stood out for me was the crunching noise the tool made as the new holes for the grafts were created. Was really weird. At the end I had to wear like a shower cap net thing.
When I went back to the hotel I didn't really want to eat as I noticed pressure on my temples when I moved my jaw. I wasn't going to risk dislodging them. Stayed up till midnight as recommended with 20 min saline sprays. Didn't get a good sleep as I couldn't rest my head properly I basically was laying down on my front, with my head elevated.
The next morning I went back to the clinic and they ran me quickly through the post op procedure. A bit too quick for my liking. I wished they had washed all my hair then but instead it was a couple of dabs here and there on the new transplanted area. Paid the extra amount that was needed for the 36 grafts and went on my way back home by bus.
As I've read here by others, yes it does feel like you're on a conveyor belt but this is understandable because of the demand in business the doc has. I just wished that it had more of a personal touch, especially with regards to shaving the area. The ointment they provide is just 3 grams which lasted about one day. I had to go out and get some more, this is the same with the Gillette shaving foam which was provided.
Anyway I'm now 2 weeks post op and can see the crusting on the hair lifting up. I haven't used any aloe vera on the graft site as the aloe vera water they provided along with the instructions of not using the same finger to get more water out was a bit ludicrous. I couldn't see how I would cover the graft area with a small amount of aloe vera on a finger, even with repeating it. Would take way too much time. It wasn't going to happen. I've ordered some aloe vera gel that I will apply once I get it.
Singles - 499
Doubles - 798
Triples - 539
Hairline - 1,298
R Temple - 312
L Temple - 226
Here are pics before:
How I normally comb my hair:
Evening post op. Look like something out of a horror film:
I didn't get a cap to wear but a bandanna:
2nd day post op:
How the donor area looked:
About a week post op when I could finally wash my hair. You wouldn't believe how much dirt was washed out:
2 weeks post op. Can finally comb my hair forward to look a bit more presentable and hide the graft area. Still the back of my head looks stupid:
I'm just hoping that my donor area hair grows back quickly so I can fade the back of the head instead of it looking like a mushroom.

Hi All,
About me and hair loss:
I am 34 years old Indian living in Denmark. Started facing hair loss since the age of 26.
The baldness reached about norwood level 5-6 and I decided to do an HT.
I did some research regarding HT and finally decided that Dr Bhatti would be the best choice considering his track record and cost.
Finally decided to take the plunge on 15th March 2016.
Pre Op:
I reached Chandigarh on 14th March and met Dr Bhatti at his clinic.
We discussed the Hairline and he estimated that he would be able to extract around 3K grafts from the donor area.
Op Day:
The clinics driver picked me up from the hotel. At the clinic changed to operating clothes and then some blood tests were done.
Soon the HT procedure started with its initial phase of graft extraction.
It was almost painless except slight sting like feeling when the anesthesia was administered.
The extraction took about 2 hours.
Then there was a small break of 15 20 minutes and was offered some juice and biscuits.
In the mean time the number of grafts were counted.
The final number was about 2200 Odd grafts from back of head and about 500 grafts from the beard area.
Then the next phase of graft implantation begun, and was done in about 2.5 -3 hours.
Finally the HT procedure was done and then I was offered Lunch. After waiting in the clinic for about 2 more hours
the light bandage covering the grafts was removed and then I was briefed about the care to be taken for the first day.
Sleep was a bit uncomfortable due to the sleeping position at 45 degrees, but was manageable.
Next day at the clinic the dressing on the donor area was removed and was informed regarding the care to be taken for the first 3 weeks.
Was also given the required medication, shampoo and lotions to be applied to the procedure area and the donor area.
I stayed in Chandigarh for one week just to avoid the hassle of traveling.
Overall it was a great experience and I was glad that I selected Dr Bhatti for the procedure.
I would thank Dr Bhatti and his team for the consultations done and his skillful operational expertise.
His facility was well equipped and provided with all the required information and care.
There has been significant change in the way I look and has also boosted my personality.

Hi community members,
I'm considering a FUE transplant but recently had an achillies repair (Jan 2013) on my achillies tendon and ended up scarring badly in the tendon and the incision. The surgeon told me I'm just one of those people that keloids and there's nothing I can do about it. Even though FUE is less invasive the idea of scarring of the follicular graft concerns me. Scarring would not only destroy the graft but also form visual scarring on the recipient sites.
I have a history of 3 keloids on my body, all of which occurred after traumatic injuries, 1) infected knee scrape which never got any medial treatment, 2) repaired achillies tendon, 3) a scab that kept accidentally scraping off and finally scarred. And there have been numerous (>25) deep cuts and scrapes that never scarred.
I consulted Dr. Bhatti in India via email and his opinion was that I should not experience any scarring from FUE and he has never had any FUE patients that scarred following transplants. He suggests keloid and hypertropic scars only occur over bony sites such as the sternum and shoulders.
I'm seeking council from any FUE surgeons, patients or experts that would have any knowledge to pass on to me regarding scarring following hair transplants.
I have attached a few pics of the keloids on my body.
- Prime

Dear balding friends,
please see a first summary of my FUE experience with Dr. Tejinder Bhatti, for the plantation of 1,500 grafts to my crown area.
About me:
37 year old going on 38.
Fairly good hair all around except for a stupid thin patch at the back.
Only using Minoxidil in the evenings and Biotin tablets
Non-smoker.
I am adding some poor quality photos of pre op and post op. You will see that all the work was concentrated on the crown area.
So, here's my initial feedback:
Diary of my FUE HT with Dr. Bhatti, 29th April 2015, Chandigarh, India.
Day -1.
I arrived at the Darling Buds clinic in the late afternoon and was introduced to the Doctor, whom immediately gave me a look over and stated his suggested action plan. Thankfully for me this involved a lot less grafts that we'd initially planned. This is mainly due to me having shared photos of a head shaved with no guard as basis and now having hair of normal length. In total, we agreed on circa 1,500 grafts to be planted in the crown area only. First impressions were good; I met a forum member who had just finished his procedure and was overall very happy: a good sign.
Day 0:
I arrived at 10.30 AM and very quickly I changed into comfortable clothing for the operation and proceeded to the harvesting part. You'll know the drill: hair shave (partial for me), good old wash and a blood sample, with the IV tap kept in situ for the duration of the day. Next up, the anaesthetic and harvesting. This was done as team work and you can really see that Dr. Bhatti and his team are a well oiled machine. They work systematically and very efficiently. You can really tell they are top class. Immediately afterwards, the slitting session. This was fine, totally painless if not for the strange sound of the blade piercing your skin. I started giggling (and the Doctor plus his team laughed too) as it reminded me of what I do to a chicken before I put it in the oven; prick the skin. Next, a quick lunch and off we went to the plantation session. Again, totally painless and from what I felt, executed flawlessly by the assistants with supervision from the Doctor.
I have no idea yet about graft split, but the total count was just shy of 1,500. I am now back at the hotel waiting for some great Indian food and applying saline solution every 20 minutes until midnight. No pain or discomfort whatsoever and from what I can see, the recipient area looks clean and very tidy.
I'll update the thread tomorrow with some photos and some more comments. So far, so good. I am delighted with the whole experience can't wait for the growth phase!
Thanks for reading.

Basically, the amount of hair I want to lower my hairline by should be about 2055 grafts at 55 grafts/cm and I'd just like opinions on the two techniques.
My current planned surgeons are Dr Radha and Dr Bhatti, both in India
How visible is the FUT scar? How large is it? Like, is it a noticeable bald strip on the back of the head? Some images I've seen have made it look pretty big.
Has anyone here had a bad result with either surgeon?
Also how much is Dr Bhatti actually per graft? Despite the site saying USD1.20, I've received an email also saying 100INR or 1.6USD. He seems to be kind of inconsistent with his prices.

He seems to get a lot of great reviews here. I'm considering a transplant with him. I've seen many posts of people that were getting decent results but they stopped posting after months 4-7. This has happened in a few posts. Very hard to find any after 7 months. There may be 1 or 2 from his representatives but I think that is it. His work seems very good and I am encouraged by how well he is regarded but would like to just see some longer term results.
Mostly everything was going well by the 4-7 month stage and perhaps they felt no need to post as all was good after that.
The same question was asked here too but didn't get many responses.
http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172024-need-speak-old-patients-dr-bhatti-1yr-ago.html
If anyone can give me their experiences after 7 months or if they have any links of people's experiences please send them on.

Hello forum,
Can you please advise.
I've consulted several HT physicians online and they all seem to say I need between 3000-3500 FUE grafts.
I think I have a good donor area, the hair is very dense and thick in the donor area.
The cost is approximately the same for both the doctors. Dr. Demirsoy charges 1 euro per graft, Dr.Bhatti 1.25 USD per graft.
The situation however is that:
I am visiting Turkey in March and I'm staying in Istanbul for 4 days, so it is very convenient for me to get a HT in Istanbul. Istanbul is close to where I live in Europe, only 1.5 hrs.
For Dr.Bhatti, I will have to change several flights and the flight travel times including layover are 21 hrs while going and 38 hrs while returning. + 1 week of travel & stay
Can you please advice which doctor I should choose. My rationale is that both Dr.Bhatti & Dr.Demirsoy have been conducting transplants for quite some time now and they both are involved in the HT. Dr.Bhatti has several cases posted and I have read very good reviews, but is it worth going through all this travel and trouble or when I can get it done in Turkey.
Please advice

Where is the best place in the world to get a Hair Transplant? India? Who is the doctor for the job?
So these are the questions I asked myself when I began considering getting a hair transplant done. The FUE method stood out as a clear winner to me and so all I had to figure out who was the best doctor for me and where he would be located. I wanted a Doctor who had experience... LOTS of it! I wanted to know that he knew what he was doing and that he was the best period. I refused to compromise on this. Then I also didn’t have the biggest budget in the world so I also wanted to explore going to countries where the cost of living is more reasonable than in the US but the quality of doctors was still the same. I looked all over the world searching countless websites and blogs before deciding India was the ideal place and Dr. Tejinder Bhatti was my ideal doctor.
I have read a ton of his success stories right here on this social network blog site. I can look up and list the members who’s stories lead me to him later if any of you would like to read them.
His credentials are very impressive! He seems to keep very much up to date with all of the most modern techniques. I know he was even just recently in the US for this.
He has tons of before and after pictures of his patients on his site. He has shown that he produces great results.
His facilities appear to be very clean and modern.
I have my appointment for the procedure scheduled for just three days from now!!! I leave on my flight in about 24 hours.
I am very excited to post pictures and keep all you all informed on my journey and experience. I will be keeping my identity concealed but will still post pictures of the before and hopefully some from during the procedure as well as monthly photos over the next 2 years.
At this point Dr. Bhatti and his staff have been incredibly helpful and informative with me. He has taken the time to answer all of my question. From everything I have heard he appears to be just the utmost doctor you could ask for… thorough, kind, knowledgeable, honest, and most of all competent in his field.
He has even put me in contact with some former patients of his.
I am looking forward to getting this procedure done and expect great things out of it.
Reading of others experience on this site has been incredibly helpful to me in making this decision. So I am hoping that I can do the same and be able to help other by documenting my journey. Feel free to ask and questions.

Looking forward to forum members help.
Considering a FUE transplant. I was told I need about 3500 grafts. I have researched this forum and a few others. My first choice is Dr Koray Erdogan. But communication seems to a huge issue with his clinic. It takes ages to get an email reply. If you call, the person who answers does not understand English. So this can become a post-op nightmare! I love his results and he uses manual punch! But a bit out of my budget and communicating remains a huge issue for me. So I shortlisted Dr Erkan Demirsoy (Turkey) & Dr Tejinder Bhatti (India), both offers similar rates, and are within my budget. I know neither of them are recommended by this forum. That doesn't mean they produce bad results, right? So between Dr Erkan Demirsoy and Dr Tejinder Bhatti who would you pick? and why?
Thanks.